Power drive table saws with circular saw blades are widely used, both in the home and in industry. They are used for the cutting of rough lumber and the cutting of thin workpieces such as laminates, wood veneers, aluminum sheeting, etc. Quite often a fence is added to the top surface of the table saw to act as a guide in obtaining a straight cut of a desired width. Fences come in various designs and sized, though all have a straight bar portion that extends the length of the table top. They are positioned on the top surface of the table saw parallel to the plane of the saw blade and secured a desired distance therefrom. A workpiece is cut to the desired width by moving one edge along the fence during the cutting operation.
It has been found that a problem particularly unique with the cutting of thin workpieces is encountered with known fences. There is a small clearance between most fences and the table saw's top surface. Thin workpieces can readily slide underneath the fence to cause a wrong cut. Wood strips are often used next to the fence to block the thin clearance. However, this can affect any precision width cut originally gained from the fence. Additionally, rotary action of the saw blade tends to cause a shattering of thin workpieces while being cut.
There is a need for an article for use with conventional table saws which will allow the safe and efficient cutting of thin workpieces. Any such article must not interfere with the precision cutting offered by known fences, yet must be able to cut thin workpieces. Ideally, any device must be capable of ready attachment to existing table saws and removal therefrom when not needed. There now has been devised a workpiece guide which is well adapted for use with conventional table saws. The guide permits the precision cutting of thin workpieces without shattering.